Mince Pie (Mincemeat Pies) for a Traditional British Christmas Treat
Mince pie is a traditional British Christmas treat that you simply must try in order to understand why they’re all the rage in the UK. In fact, a very big star says they are his very favorite choice of holiday dessert!
Back in March I showed you how to make your own mincemeat. Now, I’m going to show you how to use it to make delicious mince pie!
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Did you know that a mince pie is Outlander star Sam Heughan’s favorite holiday dessert!
He claims he can, and I quote, “…literally eat them all day!”
If you did make some mincemeat, you would be able to make your own, truly homemade mince pies (same thing as mincemeat pies) in December. Somehow, mince pies aren’t a big thing in the US as they are in the UK and Australia. However, like anything else, if you use this mince pie recipe and then taste a really good mince pie, you’ll be hooked, just like Sam! 🤩
What are Mince Pies?
Mince pies are traditional British pastries that are made at Christmastime. If you’ve checked out my mincemeat recipe (link above), you’ll see that the mince pie filling is made with lots of dried fruit.
It’s very rich, which is why these little tartlets are the perfect serving size, although some mince pie lovers may disagree! This version is made with Grand Marnier and doesn’t have any candied peel, which are two good things in my book. (I do like the candied peel I make myself, but not in mincemeat.)
What about a Christmas pudding for Christmas day, too?
Does Mincemeat Pie Have Meat?
Today, mince pies do NOT contain meat. Mincemeat used to have meat as one of the ingredients (therefore, the name). However, nowadays, the most extreme recipe will use a little suet, which I did in mine. Note: butter alone, may be used. Allrecipes infamously posted a recipe for apple pie with mince (ground beef) because they clearly don’t pay attention to the quality of the recipes they share. You’ll be safe with my recipes, though!
Although it’s rather late to make mincemeat in December as it needs to be pre-made months ahead of time, you can always plan for next year. Put this recipe on your calendar for this coming February or March.
You may also enjoy this recipe for Bakewell tart with icing which is made in a 9″ tart dish.
It’s delicious, but then, so are mince pies!
However, it’s now December–so let’s get to the mince pie making! And whether it’s for you or as a gift, this Mason Cash bowl is a great purchase (the old English brand used by Mrs. Patmore and Daisy in Downton Abbey).
How to Make Traditional Mince Pie
(Mincemeat Pies)
Recipe by Christina Conte Makes 24 pies (tartlets)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- mincemeat (I made a batch of homemade mincemeat last March)
For the pastry~
- flour
- butter
- salt
- sugar
Step-by-Step Directions to Make Mince Pie
Preheat oven to 375˚ F (190˚ C)
You can follow the directions for this pie pastry tutorial. In a large bowl, cut the butter into the flour with two knives or a pastry cutter, then add the sugar and enough ice water, just so the pastry comes together without falling apart.
If you add too much water, the dough will be tough. If you are a more accomplished cook, you could add an egg yolk instead of the water, which yields an even tastier pastry.
Roll out the dough to about 1/4″ and cut into rounds to place into cupcake tins or small tartlet tins.
Put the mincemeat filling into a medium sized bowl.
Next, fill the pastry cases with some mincemeat. Top with a star or cover entirely with another piece of pastry (make a hole in the top).
Place the mince pies on a baking tray into preheated oven. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until the pastry becomes a golden brown color. Finally, sprinkle with a little sugar, immediately after being removed from the oven.
Store in an airtight tin. You may be tempted to serve these with ice cream, but I suggest trying them on their own as they are marvelous with a cup of tea!
A mince pie with a cup of tea is a perfect holiday treat! Just ask Sam Hueghan who proclaimed that mince pies are his favourite treat! 🤩
These are great as hostess gifts and many other holiday occasions. Just make sure you make enough for you to keep a stash of mince pies for yourself, too!
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Mince Pies (Mincemeat) Pies for a Traditional British Christmas Treat
Ingredients
- 1 c mincemeat
Pastry:
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ sticks (150 g) unsalted butter (good quality or 50% butter/ 50% lard)
- ½ tsp sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ice water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚ F (190˚ C).
- Follow instructions for homemade pie pastry.Or cut the butter into the flour with two knives or a pastry cutter, then add the sugar and enough ice water, just so the pastry comes together without falling apart. If you add too much water, the dough will be tough.
- Roll out the dough to about ¼" and cut into rounds to place into cupcake tins or small tartlet tins.
- Next, fill the pastry cases with some mincemeat. Top with a star or cover entirely with another piece of pastry (make a hole in the top).
- Place the mince pies on a baking tray into preheated oven. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until the pastry becomes a golden brown color.
- Finally, sprinkle with a little sugar, immediately after being removed from the oven. Store in an airtight tin.
Nutrition
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Love me some mince pies, too bad they only appear at Christmas! So where did you get the little tins for the pies? I’m wondering if they would be good for my gluten free pies which tend to have a more crumbly crust and don’t pop out easily from a muffin tin.
Hi Sheena, I honestly have had those tins for so long that I don’t remember, but I think you could probably find them at Sur La Table or Amazon (I find everything at Amazon!) :) CC
Great post! My family and I are in a major Downton Abbey phase and love cooking British holiday foods. Thank you for sharing, we can’t wait to try this out at home.
I’m a huge Downton fan too! You’ll have to tune in to the Great British Bakeoff, Heather! It starts Dec. 28th on PBS and after that will be on right before Downton Abbey. It’s Britain’s biggest show right now and is so much fun to watch! I actually got to meet and hang out with the two main judges when I was in Scotland this past October. Spread the word with all your DA friends, they’ll love it too. Are you planning on making the mincemeat for next year? I don’t know if you read that part, but it really needs to sit in the fridge for a minimum of 6 months. :) By the way, you can find all my Scottish and British recipes here:https://christinascucina.com/category/cuisine/scottish-british Enjoy! CC
Christina – mincemeat pies were huge in my half-British/half-French-Canadian grandparents house. We had them for Christmas every year, and I wish I had my Nana’s recipe for mincemeat! Yours seems very similar (she used lard, too) and even though I promised myself I would make yours, I forgot… So, mince pies for Valentines Day?
Why not, David?! Any excuse for mince pies and you may start a trend! :)
I love Mincemeat. I know a lot of people in the US don’t think they like mincemeat – but it usually is because they haven’t tasted it. I think the bite size version would be a great opportunity for people to sample this delicious pie.
You are absolutely correct, Cathy! Also, I think this version (without anything candied) would appeal to more people also.
I agree every person I’ve given one to has enjoyed the taste of it than I tell them and they are happily surprised
Wonderful, Falinda!
I do love mince pies, never made my own mince before next year I will use your recipe and try this. It really is delicious,
It’s really easy, too! CC
These take me back to growing up in England at Christmas. I miss my mums mince pies, your mince looks so good. Lovely recipe.
Thanks, Janette! I know, it’s terrible when you miss something so much and just can’t have the original!
Hi Christina,
A lovely and yummy post! I do remember you showing us the recipe for Minced Pies. I can’t believe how the time just flies, it was not that long ago. (it seems) I love the fact that these are in small tartlets. Sometimes you just want to eat a little piece and then the whole pie has to be used. I am really not fond of Minced Meat Pies, but my mom love them. But what I remember is that the Minced Meat is very sweet. So these individual tartlets are a perfect treat for a little sweet at this holiday season. Thank you for sharing and I did print out the recipe, maybe this year I will try to make the minced meat ahead of time. Have a great week friend….
Dottie :)
Thanks, Dottie. I think you might like these as there is no candied fruit and are definitely not too sweet. I don’t think I could handle a piece of mincemeat pie, myself…it would just be too rich to have a whole slice. Thanks for stopping by! :)